# US 12,111,636 B2 · Transport system

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- Number: US 12,111,636 B2
- Document ID: US12111636B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/505,975
- Filed: 2021-10-20
- Published: 2022-04-28
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2020-10-22
- Assignees: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Koichi Hagiwara; Makoto Kono
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111636B2

## CPC

- G05B 19/418: Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
- B65G 1/0492: {with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles}
- B65G 43/08: Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)}
- G05B 19/4189: {characterised by the transport system}
- H10P 72/0612: {Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput}
- H10P 72/3214: {by means of a cart or a vehicle}
- H10P 72/3216: {using a general scheme of a conveying path within a factory}
- H10P 72/3218: {Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers}
- B65G 1/1375: {the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck}
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

In a case where the target article is transported between areas, a management control unit executes path setting control, a first area control unit executes first area transport control, a connection control unit executes connecting transport control, and a second area control unit executes second area transport control. With the path setting control, an overall path from a departure point to a destination point is set on the basis of transportation status information of a first area transport facility, a second area transport facility, and a plurality of connecting transport facilities. With the second area transport control, a partial path from a second transfer position of a target connecting transport facility to the destination point is set on the basis of transportation status information of the second area transport facility.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A transport system for transporting a plurality of transport articles, comprising:
a first area provided with a first area transport facility that forms a plurality of transport paths;
a first area control unit configured to control the first area transport facility and to transport the transport articles along a path selected from the plurality of transport paths in the first area;
a second area provided with a second area transport facility that forms a plurality of transport paths;
a second area control unit configured to control the second area transport facility and to transport the transport articles along a path selected from the plurality of transport paths in the second area;
a plurality of connecting transport facilities that each form a transport path connecting a first transfer position provided in the first area and a second transfer position provided in the second area;
a connection control unit configured to control the plurality of connecting transport facilities and to transport the transport articles between the first transfer position and the second transfer position; and
a management control unit configured to manage the first area control unit, the second area control unit, and the connection control unit,
wherein:
one transport article from among the plurality of transport articles is a target article and others are other articles;
in a case where the target article is transported between areas from a departure point in the first area to a destination point in the second area, the management control unit executes path setting control, the first area control unit executes first area transport control, the connection control unit executes connecting transport control, and the second area control unit executes second area transport control;
the path setting control is control that includes acquiring transportation status information indicating a transportation status of the other articles for each of the first area transport facility, the second area transport facility, and the plurality of connecting transport facilities, and setting an overall path from the departure point to the destination point on the basis of the transportation status information;
a connecting transport facility from among the plurality of connecting transport facilities that is included in the overall path is a target connecting transport facility;
the first area transport control is control in which the first area transport facility is operated to transport the target article from the departure point to the first transfer position of the target connecting transport facility;
the connecting transport control is control in which the target connecting transport facility is operated to transport the target article from the first transfer position of the target connecting transport facility to the second transfer position; and
the second area transport control is control in which the second area transport facility is operated so that the transportation status information of the second area transport facility is acquired, a partial path from the second transfer position of the target connecting transport facility to the destination point is set on the basis of the transportation status information, and the target article is transported from the second transfer position of the target connecting transport facility to the destination point along the partial path.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The transport system according to claim 1, wherein:
the connection control unit transmits, to the second area control unit, estimated arrival information indicating an estimated arrival of the target article at the second transfer position before the target article arrives at the second transfer position via execution of the connecting transport control; and
the second area control unit starts preparations of the second area transport control on the basis of the estimated arrival information.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The transport system according to claim 1, wherein:
the plurality of connecting transport facilities each include a plurality of the second transfer positions; and
the connection control unit acquires inbound/outbound transport status information indicating an inbound/outbound transport status of the other articles for each one of the plurality of second transfer positions of the target connecting transport facility and, on the basis of the inbound/outbound transport status information, selects a transportation destination of the target article for the connecting transport control via execution of the connecting transport control from the plurality of second transfer positions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The transport system according to claim 1, wherein:
with the path setting control, weighting information indicating a weighting of each transport path for the first area transport facility and the second area transport facility is further acquired, and the overall path is set also on the basis of the weighting information.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The transport system according to claim 4, wherein:
with the path setting control, the weighting information for each one of the plurality of connecting transport facilities is further acquired, and the overall path is set also on the basis of the weighting information.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The transport system according to claim 1, wherein:
with the path setting control, estimated transportation status information indicating a future transportation status of the other articles estimated on the basis of previous information of the transportation status information for the first area transport facility and the second area transport facility is further acquired, and the overall path is set also on the basis of the estimated transportation status information.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The transport system according to claim 6, wherein:
with the path setting control, the estimated transportation status information for each one of the plurality of connecting transport facilities is further acquired, and the overall path is set also on the basis of the estimated transportation status information.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The transport system according to claim 1, wherein:
with the path setting control, a path with a lowest estimated value for time required to transport the target article from the departure point to the destination point is set as the overall path.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The transport system according to claim 1, wherein:
the first area and the second area are separately set in different floors in the same building; and
the connecting transport facilities are inter-floor transport facilities for transporting the transport articles between different floors in the same building.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The transport system according to claim 1, wherein:
the first area and the second area are separately set in different buildings; and
the connecting transport facilities are inter-building transport facilities for transporting the transport articles between different buildings.